1. Phylum Cnidaria (Coelenterates)
Jellies
Anemones
Corals
Hydroids

2. Hydroids (2) & Hydrocorals (2)
Hydroids- usually colonial, skeleton looks branchy like a fern, individual polyps are attached to branches. Complex life cycle.
Hydrocorals- colonial, marine hydrozoans with a limestone skeleton. (resemble true corals).

3. Christmas Tree
Hydroid

4. Portuguese Man-Of-War
Hydroid
Dangerous nematocysts-don’t touch and don’t try to pull one off of your friend (you’ll get stung too!)

5. Branching (Encrusting) Fire Coral
Hydrocoral
Don’t touch…these are one reason to be thankful you’ll be wearing a wetsuit!

6. Blade (Leafy) Fire Coral
Hydrocoral

7. Jellyfish (2)
True Jellyfishes- translucent, unattached medusae, swim in open water, consist of prominent dome and nemotocyst-bearing tentacles

8. Sea Thimble Jellyfish Tiny and numerous!
We may see these in Andros, but they only sting your mucus membranes, so you can touch them with your hands!

9. Upside-down (Cassiopea)
Jellyfish
Blend in well, look in warm shallows
May be coin to pancake size

10. Gorgonians (8)
Gorgonians- commonly called “soft corals”, lack rigid, permanent skeletons. Central core is surrounded by gelatinous “rind” with imbedded polyps.

11. Corky Sea Fingers
Gorgonian

12. Black Sea Rods
Gorgonian

13. Porous Sea Rods
Gorgonian
Picture showing pore-like polyps on right

14. Bipinnate Sea Plume
Gorgonian

15. Yellow Sea Whip
Gorgonian

16. Angular Sea Whip Gorgonian Commonly seen on our snorkels.
Picture below shows details of polyps.

17. Common Sea Fan
Gorgonian
Ones we see
will have purple
colored “veins”.

18. Venus Sea Fan Gorgonian
Notice yellow colored “veins” on the sea fans on the left.

19. Anemones (4)
Anemones- solitary polyps attached to bottom of sea, lack hard skeletal parts. Tentacles with nematocysts sting and capture prey which is then inserted into mouth on oral disc. May contract tentacles for protection.

20. Giant (aka: Pink-Tipped)
You will probably see these, especially during our invertebrate walk. Usually pretty small (1-3 in)

21. Sun
Anemone

22. Elegant (Burrowing)
Anemone

23. Corkscrew
Anemone
Look for these attached to patch reef or wreckage

24. Zoanthids (2)
Zoanthids- similar to anemones, but tiny (<1/2 in.) and mostly colonial. Only has 2 rings of tentacles.

25. Mat
Zoanthids

26. White Encrusting
Zoanthid

27. Corals (13)
Stony Corals- hard corals, reef builders. Polyps secreting calcium carbonate to form hard cups (corallites) that protect soft bodies. Increase in size by asexual budding.
NOTE: When snorkeling over a coral head, look for combinations of stony coral, gorgonians, anemones and other organisms all living together.

28. Staghorn
Coral
You will see these often on the main reef!

29. Elkhorn Coral Ginormous! These have made a comeback
around Andros~you should see lots!

30. Finger (Clubbed-finger)
Coral
Commonly seen on our trip.
Look for the large wall of finger coral by the oceanic blue hole

31. Pillar
Coral

32. Great Star
Coral
Smaller picture shows individual polyps

33. Boulder Star
Coral

34. Elliptical Star
Coral

35. Golfball
Coral

36. Mustard Hill
Coral
You should see these nearly every day.

37. Symmetrical (Smooth) Brain
Coral

38. Grooved Brain
Coral

39. Rose
Coral
Elliptical on left
Hemispherical on right

40. Lettuce
Coral

41. Study your field guides and feel free to access this PowerPoint for review purposes on the Marine Biology website!
The End